Telangana Doctors Seek Regular Medical Faculty Hiring

Faculty Shortage Affects Education and Healthcare in Government Colleges

Hyderabad: Doctors in Telangana are asking the state government to create a regular hiring schedule for doctors who also teach in government medical colleges.

Every year, about 1,100 postgraduate (PG) doctors finish their training in the state. But because the government doesn’t post job openings regularly, many have to look for jobs in private hospitals or even leave Telangana.

Problems Caused by Irregular Hiring

Doctors say this irregular hiring is causing problems in medical education. It’s also making junior faculty feel less motivated and hurting healthcare in government hospitals.

NMC Notices to Medical Colleges

This request comes at a time when the National Medical Commission (NMC) has sent notices to 26 of the 34 medical colleges in Telangana. These notices point out problems like not enough infrastructure, clinical issues, and faculty shortages.

Current Faculty Shortages

Dr. K Brahmeshwar, president of the Healthcare Reforms Doctors’ Association (HRDA), says many departments in government medical colleges only have assistant professors. These are often hired temporarily.

“In Hyderabad, both Gandhi and Osmania Medical Colleges don’t have enough faculty in some departments. Some departments don’t have any faculty at all. One reason could be that faculty are being moved from these big colleges to new ones on the city’s outskirts,” he said.

Last Hiring Effort

He also mentioned that the last time they hired about 200-250 assistant professors was in 2022, after a High Court petition. The HRDA says there are currently around 450-500 teaching faculty in Telangana’s 34 medical colleges, but they need between 750 and 800.

According to NMC rules, every clinical department in a medical college must have at least three faculty members: a professor, an associate professor, and an assistant professor.

Growth of Medical Infrastructure

Out of the 34 government medical colleges in Telangana, eight were started in late 2024. Each of these new colleges takes in 100 MBBS students. Right now, there are 4,215 MBBS seats in these colleges.

But there are worries that the state is growing its medical infrastructure too fast, without making sure there are enough facilities and staff.

A senior government doctor, who didn’t want to be named, said: “If the government keeps opening new colleges, they must also hire regularly to keep up with retirements every year.”